Fruit Bats (from the album A River Running to Your Heart

Fruit Bats (from the album A River Running to Your Heart

Fruit Bats (from the album A River Running to Your Heart available on Merge Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)

It’s hard to believe that after 25 years of making exceptional albums, and mining a style that finds a divide between accessible Power Pop with intelligent Indie Rock, Fruit Bats haven’t attracted the larger following they so decidedly deserve. Of course, that statement might also apply to any outfit that operates below the radar and evades popular notice, but in the Fruit Bats’ case it’s especially perplexing. Some might say they’re too artsy (read ‘intelligent’) for their own good. Indeed, while most of their music creates instant attachment, certain songs also convey words of wisdom.
‘Well, we all want a home — metaphorical or real’ Eric Johnson, Fruit Bats’ steady — and oftentimes, sole — musical constant sings on “Waking Up In Los Angeles”, one of eleven refreshingly resilient tracks on the band’s new album. That’s hardly revelatory, but it does speak to a certain truth.
A Classic Rock enthusiast — Johnson lists the Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Big Star, Uncle Tupelo, Joni Mitchell, the Grateful Dead, and Prince among his most indelible influences — he delivers a style that are clearly in sync with sounds of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, and yet, it never comes across as redundant. In fact, it’s the opposite. The shimmering sounds of “Dim North Star” and “The Deep Well” hint at grander ambitions through a series of truly stunning soundscapes. More to the point, the upbeat exhortation of songs such as “See the World by Night”, “Tacoma”, and “Jesus Tap Dancing Christ (It’s Good To Be Home)” — the latter of which shares Johnson’s unequivocal enthusiasm (‘I never knew it could feel this nice’) — testify to the fact that Fruit Bats take stock in sheer celebration. The band’s membership may have shifted over the years, but that commitment to cadence and creativity has never wavered.
If this was an outfit of greater notoriety, A River Running to Your Heart would be hailed as a major masterpiece. In any regard, it certainly qualifies for that distinction and even more. Suffice it to say, this river’s found its mark.
(by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Fruit Bats from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Fruit Bats website